CAPS Independent Advocacy

06/01/2026

🌟🤩We’re reaching out to ask if you would be able to help us by becoming a member of CAPS. The more members we have, the stronger the voice of people with mental health issues will be. Joining costs nothing and it only takes a minute to sign up ✏. Any individual living in Scotland aged 16 or over who is in agreement with the purposes of CAPS can apply to be a member. You can find out more about membership and our purposes on our website. There are no time commitments but you would help our work simply by joining, you could also play an important role voting for Management Committee members and any changes to the constitution at our AGM each year. Join now! 💙



Norton Park Business and Conference Centre Lothian Health Services Archive Of eXperience (VOX) iThrive Edinburgh

[Image description: Happy New Year! Want to support CAPS in 2026?
Becoming a member costs nothing
and the more members we have, the stronger the voice of people with mental health issues will be!]

18/12/2025

Wishing you all the very best for the festive season from everyone at CAPS! See you in the new year!

[Image description: a card with the words: ‘Season’s Greetings’ and a photograph of several people wearing orange t-shirts – the Out Of Sight Out of Mind exhibition team 2025.]

17/12/2025

Free five-week community Mad Studies course based in the University of Edinburgh

15/12/2025

✨🤩We are delighted to announce that the Understanding Oor Mad History course will be returning in January 2026!

Join us for a free five-week community Mad Studies course based in the University of Edinburgh.

📆Date: The course will start on Tuesday 27th January 2026 and then run on Tuesdays 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th February.

📍Place: University of Edinburgh.

Who it’s for: people with experience of mental health issues.

How to register: get in touch with Azra on azra@capsadvocacy.org.
Five weeks of learning, discussion and community building. Please make sure you are able to attend every session.

Week 1: Introduction: What is Oor Mad History?
Week 2: The History of Confinement and Treatments
Week 3: Madness, Gender, Sexuality and Intersectionality
Week 4: Activism Then and Now
Week 5: Arts as Advocacy

How do I get a place on the course?

If you want to join, then please send a message to azra@capsadvocacy.org with a little bit about yourself and why you want to come on the course.

Or sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-understanding-oor-mad-history-course-2026-tickets-1977872834892?aff=oddtdtcreator



Lothian Health Services Archive Voices Of eXperience (VOX) iThrive Edinburgh

[Image descriptions: 1 Understanding Oor Mad History

A free five-week community Mad Studies course based in the University of Edinburgh

The course starts on Tuesday 27th January and runs on Tuesdays 3rd February, 10th February, 17th February, 24th February 2026’ with an image of craft materials and pair of scissors.

2 “Some of my best learnings and memories.” With an image of people standing around a table chatting. The Lothian Health Services Archive logo and Oor Mad History project logo.

3 “I learned more about myself from hearing from people who had similar experiences.” With an image of craft materials. ]

03/12/2025

01/12/2025

🚨Community workshop alert - still time to register!

Come along to explore the power of Mad History!

📆Date: 3rd December 2025
📍Place: Norton Park Centre, 57 Albion Rd, Edinburgh EH7 5QY
🕜Time: 1.30pm to 3.30pm

This workshop centres the history and voices of people with lived experience of mental health issues. Everyone is welcome to join us to learn from their valuable insights.

Let’s celebrate lived experience and the Oor Mad History project’s incredible story and activism.✊

The workshop is free and everyone is welcome. 💙

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/understanding-oor-mad-history-a-community-workshop-tickets-1962430978885?aff=oddtdtcreator

Norton Park Business and Conference Centre



[Image description: two people facing towards a screen on which there is a red and white graphic of a fist with the words ‘time for revolution’ and ‘activism then and now’.]

19/11/2025

🎄Festive party for participants!!
As usual we are having a festive get together for people who’ve been involved in Collective Advocacy this year. Come and join us for some mulled wine (non-alcoholic!) festive nibbles and cheesy Christmas music! ⛄
Tuesday 16th of December between 4pm and 6pm.
If you would like to come along please get in touch with Catherine, catherine@capsadvocacy.org, you’ll need a visitors pass! This event is just for CAPS’ Collective Advocacy participants.

[The image includes the above words with graphics of gingerbread biscuits in the shape of gingerbread man, christmas tree, star and bell with pink snowflakes and stars]

12/11/2025

💜The Oor Mad History group warmly invites you to join our interactive workshop focusing on Mad Studies and the legacy of Oor Mad History and the Lothian Mental Health Service User Movement.

Led by the Oor Mad History collective advocacy group at CAPS Independent Advocacy, this workshop walks participants through an overview of Mad Studies terminology, the history and activism of the Lothian Mental Health Service User Movement, and how it paved the way to the Oor Mad History project today. We will also connect and learn from each other through discussion questions and group work.
This workshop centres the history and voices of people with lived experience. Everyone is welcome to join us to learn from their valuable insights and gain knowledge about the project’s powerful story and activism.

📆3rd December from 1:30pm to 3:30pm
📍Norton Park, Albion Road, Edinburgh.

If you would like a spot, you can book via Eventbrite on: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/understanding-oor-mad-history-a-community-workshop-tickets-1962430978885?aff=oddtdtcreator
Or if you would prefer not to use Eventbrite, then please contact Azra on: azra@capsadvocacy.org

The event is organized by the Oor Mad History collective advocacy group at CAPS Independent Advocacy. More information about the collective advocacy group can be found at:
https://capsadvocacy.org/collective-advocacy/oor-mad-history/

Lothian Health Services Archive Norton Park Business and Conference Centre

[Image description: the words ‘Understanding Oor
Mad History:
A Community Workshop’ with three images, one is the cover of ‘Beyond diagnosis’ with a person wearing sunglasses, one is of a multi-coloured collage and the third is a t-shirt with the slogan ‘warning may contain nuts’, the Oor Mad History logo and CAPS logo.]

04/11/2025

What does it mean to you? Below are responses shared by 2025 exhibitors, visitors and planners. These will be collected and added to over the course of the exhibition.Scroll to the bottom of the page to add yours.   If you are a visitor to the exhibition, an exhibitor, a friend or relative of one, ...

03/11/2025

👀🗣This survey has been created by a group of people who may attract the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder or Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. As part of our collective advocacy work, we regularly meet professionals who share our view that there could be improvements made to the mental health services for people with BPD/EUPD in Edinburgh. The group want to work with both people who use these services and the people who deliver them to help advocate for the best services possible.

Please help us by completing our survey for professionals here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XLPJXHG. If you would like to learn more about the group's work or have any questions about the survey please contact the group's facilitator Alex at alex@capsadvocacy.org

[Image description:Are you a mental health professional working in Edinburgh who works with people with BPD or EUPD?
‘Much More Than A Label’ is a Collective Advocacy Group facilitated by CAPS for people who may attract the diagnosis of a personality disorder.
MMTAL want to know what mental health professionals in Edinburgh working with people with BPD or EUPD think about the services in Edinburgh for people with BPD or EUPD. Your views help shape our advocacy work!
Take our 10 minute survey!
Follow the link in our bio.' with a graphic of two people sitting on a sofa, and a loud speaker and the Much More Than A Label logo]

30/10/2025

✏️This survey has been created by a group of people who may attract the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder or Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. The group feels there are improvements that need to be made to mental health services in Edinburgh for people who may attract these diagnoses. We want to hear from other people to learn more about their experiences.

This survey is confidential and will be used to help create a report about mental health services for people with BPD/EUPD in Edinburgh and to help shape our advocacy work.

You can fill in the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XL38PF7 Any one who takes this survey is warmly invited to come along to the group and get involved in our advocacy work! 💛 If you would like to learn more about the group, this survey, or share your experiences in a different way, please get in touch with the group's facilitator Alex at alex@capsadvocacy.org



Change Mental Health iThrive Edinburgh eastspace.org.uk - East Lothian's Mental Health Information Website West Space midspace.co.uk - Midlothian's Mental Health Information Website Dunfermline Advocacy

[Image description: Do you have BPD or EUPD?
Do you live in Edinburgh?
We want to hear about your experiences with mental health services.
‘Much More Than A Label’ is a Collective Advocacy Group facilitated by CAPS for people who may attract the diagnosis of a personality disorder.
MMTAL want to know how people in Edinburgh with BPD or EUPD find accessing the right mental health services in Edinburgh. Your experience can help shape our advocacy work!
Take our 10 minute survey!
Follow the link in our bio.
A graphic of a head with brain and flowers, and a loud speaker and the Much More Than A Label logo]

23/10/2025

🎉🤩People are enjoying their first taste of the Out of Sight Out of Mind exhibition! Congratulations to the Planning Group, exhibitors, volunteers and everyone else involved in the exhibition on their fantastic launch on Tuesday!

This year’s exhibition has artwork by 400 people with experience of mental health issues on show. At until 9 November (Wednesday to Sunday, 11am - 6pm).

Out Of Sight Out Of Mind Exhibition Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival Mental Health Foundation



[Image descriptions
1 One person holds a phone up whilst another looks on. In the background are many colourful canvasses on the wall.
2 A number of people stand in a group, smiling and chatting.
3 Two people chatting in front of a number of artworks.
4 A person wearing a hat giving a speech in front of a microphone.
5 A person giving a speech in front of a microphone.]

Photos by Chris Scott.